Bonneville Assessments

Bonneville Assessments are a collection of 3 sculptures that re-construct documents, detritus, and sediment from hazardous industrial sites in the Bonneville Basin. This series was completed in Spring 2020, and has been partially exhibited in Artists of Utah’s 35×35 exhibition at Finch Lane Gallery and From Before to Now at Utah Museum of Contemporary Art.

Bonneville Assessment 1

The Bonneville Basin is a large terminal basin that exemplifies geological time on a massive scale. Humans have inhabited the area for about 13,000 years, but just recently in the last 100 years, it has become a home to many large extraction, incineration, and military testing facilities. The vast, flat basins of this area became mostly devoid of human life after the indigenous population was displaced onto small reservations, paving the way for an industrial makeover. Between chemical, nuclear, and biological weapons, dioxins from magnesium extraction, smoke from hazardous waste incineration, and dust storms fed by salt extraction, there is a myriad of toxic agents being released into the airshed. As a lifelong inhabitant of the Bonneville Basin, I have a vested interest in the health of this ecosystem and cleanliness of the airshed.

Bonneville Assessment 2

Many modern artists have made land art in and about the Bonneville Basin, however most did not understand or acknowledge the contested history of the land they were using as a medium. This series utilizes discarded hazardous waste manuals, minerals, and industrial relics to participate in and narrate the Bonneville Basin’s complete history.